Keep an eye on the big picture

Datacentre managers must take a holistic approach to implementing change

By Martin Atherton

In a nutshell:

There are lots of things we could do to optimise our datacentres. The real challenge is to do it in an orderly, sustainable and consistent fashion

Key points:

• There is a risk that a fragmented approach to datacentre improvement will not create the benefits we desire

• Start by acknowledging the *real* requirements: the computing services consumed by the business as dictated by the need for function, performance, availability, scalability, security and resilience

• Consider the constraints: This could be floor space or power availability. Then the different types of workloads that need to be executed. Can you increase the utilisation and manageability of your mainframe and server estate?

• Don‟t rush in and “fix‟ things in isolation without first understanding the impact on other areas, such as storage, cooling and power consumption.